Quack malaria potions endanger lives

Stick with perscribed drugs, advices The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Holidaymakers are risking their lives by relying on homeopathic medicines to protect them against malaria, doctors have warned.

They condemned the pills and potions - some of them concocted from tree bark, swamp water and rotting plants - as 'outrageous quackery'.

An undercover investigation found that alternative medicine clinics readily prescribe homeopathic treatments, despite clear Government advice that they do not work.

Homeopathy, which has won the backing of Prince Charles, claims to prevent diseases by using dilute forms of herbs and minerals.

But a recent study published in the Lancet medical journal suggested that its health benefits are all in the imagination.

In the investigation, by BBC's Newsnight and the charity Sense About Science, scientists contacted a variety of homeopaths and pretended to be embarking on an African holiday. The clinics included one recommended by High Street pharmacist Superdrug. All advised them to take alternative remedies instead of conventional medicines.

Among the products, which ranged in price from £3.75 to £75, were Malaria officinalis tablets. Also known as Malaria nosode, they are made from African swamp water, rotting plants and mosquito eggs and larvae.

The homeopaths also recommended China officinalis or China sulph, which is made from tree bark containing quinine, and Natrum Mur - or salt tablets.

They gave little advice on how to prevent mosquito bites and several claimed the herbal treatments had stopped other travellers from coming down with the disease.

Professor Brian Greenwood, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the potions could do more harm than good.

He said: 'The use of homeopathy creates a more dangerous situation than taking no precautions if the traveller assumes he or she is protected and does not seek help quickly for any illness that might be malaria.'

The mosquito-borne parasite can kill within two days of symptoms appearing.

Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris, said: 'This sort of outrageous quackery is unacceptable. Vulnerable people are being duped into handing over cash for useless remedies and are having their health put at risk through grossly inadequate advice.'

Last year, 11 Britons died from malaria. Many of them had not completed a course of tablets from their GP, or had relied on other medicines.

A spokesman for Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy said that travellers turn to homeopathy because they are concerned about the side-effects of traditional drugs.

He added: 'We give advice on traditional homeopathic remedies which have been used by people for many decades in their attempt to avoid conventional treatment for malaria. We would also advise customers to take further preventative steps such as using a reliable insect repellent and wearing suitable clothing.'